ANIBES (Anthropometry, Intake and Energy Balance in Spain) is now focusing on a new research coordinated by the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN) and published in the scientific journal “Nutrients”.
The objective, the study points out, is to describe the influence of the place of residence and the size of the habitat on the intakes of food groups.
The sample consisted of 2009 people (50.4% men and 49.6% women) residing in Spain (except Ceuta and Melilla) between 9 and 75 years old who live in municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants in an urban, semi-urban and rural habitat. .
It was distributed in nine geographical areas: northeast, northwest, north-central, central, east or east, south, the Canary Islands and the metropolitan areas of Madrid and Barcelona.
For three days, they provided information on food and beverage consumption in a dietary record, and sex, age, geographic areas, and habitat population size were compared.
Food and beverages were organized into 16 food groups (cereals; vegetables; fruits; oils and other fats; milk and dairy; fish and shellfish; meats; eggs; legumes; sugar and sweets; snacks; ready meals; sauces and condiments ; non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic beverages and food supplements).
“The results of this new scientific work show that the socioeconomic factors composed of the place of residence and the size of the habitat have a limited influence on the choice of food and drink groups in the ANIBES population, which could be interpreted as a certain globalization in food accessibility, although specific exceptions have been observed for some age groups and sex ”, the president of the FEN, Gregorio Varela, explained in a statement.
“However – he adds – it is essential to recognize that there are other relevant socioeconomic variables and more studies are required to continue measuring and probing the weight of these influences in order to develop effective and efficient public health policies and interventions.
Results in children (9 to 12 years)
The results showed that children living in eastern Spain drank significantly more non-alcoholic beverages than those living in northwestern regions. Furthermore, although higher levels of intake were observed in children from the Canary Islands, these values were not significant.
Children living in urban and semi-urban areas consume significantly higher amounts of meat and meat products than those in rural areas, with 171.1 and 177.1 grams / day, respectively.
In addition, they have a higher consumption of milk and dairy products compared to those in rural areas. “Surprisingly, we found no differences in food group intake among girls, regardless of habitat,” the research notes.
Outcomes in adolescents (13 to 17 years)
There are no significant differences in the consumption of any of the food groups studied, nor in the different geographical areas.
However, when we studied habitat size, we found that adolescent girls living in rural areas had significantly less intake of ready-to-eat meals than those in semi-urban areas, the research indicates.
Furthermore, the data show that rural children consumed significantly more cereals and grains (203.1 grams / day) than their peers from urban sites (160.8 grams / day).
Results in adults (18 to 64 years)
Men who lived in the south of Spain had a significantly higher consumption of snacks than those who lived in Madrid and the northwest.
Intake of sugar and sweets was significantly higher for men living in the Northwest than for those in the South. It is also notable that meat consumption among men living in the north-central area was significantly higher than that of those in the northwest.
Similarly, the ANIBES study observed a significantly higher intake of eggs among men from central Spain compared to those living in eastern areas. However, the men who lived in the former zone had a significantly lower intake of milk and dairy products compared to those in Madrid.
In the group of women, it is observed that the intakes of fat and oil were significantly higher in women from the south compared to the intakes of those who live in the Canary Islands, central, east, areas of Madrid (metropolitan area) and northwest .
Although the aperitif consumption in women living in Madrid and the Canary Islands was lower compared to the intakes of women living in the eastern area.
Older people (65 to 75 years old)
When the food group intakes of the older male population were examined in the ANIBES study, significantly higher egg consumption was found among those living in north central compared to people living in northeastern areas.
Furthermore, the vegetable intake of the first group was higher than the intake of the older southern men.
Older women in southern Spain consumed higher amounts of oils and fats than those in the Canary Islands. Likewise, the consumption of eggs was higher than in the eastern area.
Finally, the intake of vegetable groups was lower among women in the southern metropolitan areas and Madrid compared to those living in the northern locations of central Spain.
